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TABOR Repeal Bill Passes Colorado House of Representatives without Single Republican Vote

House Democrats’ attempt to permanently pocket taxpayer refunds advances on party-line vote

 DENVER, April 17, 2019 – Yesterday, Democrats in the Colorado House of Representatives voted to pass House Bill 1257, a measure that would require state taxpayers to permanently forego tax refunds in any year in which they overpay the state.

“Colorado Democrats claim that their proposed theft of taxpayers would fund critical services like education and transportation, but Speaker K.C. Becker admitted in a committee hearing that they couldn’t provide any assurances as to how this supposed ‘excess’ revenue would be allocated in the future,” said Amy Oliver Cooke, Independence Institute Executive Vice President and TABORYes coalition member. “This isn’t even the government’s money in the first place. It’s money that hardworking Coloradans overpaid into the system, as codified by our Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.

“Put simply, Colorado Democrats are trying to write themselves a blank check with money that should be in your pockets,” said Laura Carno, Director of SpringsTaxpayers.com and coalition member. “It would be comically clumsy if it wasn’t a real-life attempt to have Coloradans permanently sign away money that they never owed to begin with.”

“Even though our state budget continues to grow by over $1B each year, more is never enough for Democrats,” said Michael Fields, Executive Director of Colorado Rising Action and coalition member. “House Republicans deserve a lot of credit for standing up for taxpayers today.”

Should the measure pass the State Senate, where Democrats enjoy a 19-16 majority, Coloradans will hold a vote to determine its fate in November. This legislation follows the release of a public poll commissioned in January which found that 71 percent of Coloradans support TABOR when provided the definition of the amendment, compared to just 28 percent who oppose it.

The TABORYes Coalition is an affiliation of groups across Colorado that are committed to protecting and strengthening the greatest gift Colorado voters ever gave themselves and future generations – the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR). To learn more, visit www.TABORYes.com.